Grand Theft Auto 4 queue man stabbed in head

Revenge assault attempted

A hooded male stabbed another man in the head and neck yesterday as they both queued to buy copies of Grand Theft Auto IV from a Croydon Gamestation store.

Onlookers witnessed the Niko-style stabbing, which some bystanders have said they initially thought was a stunt pulled to whip-up yet more excitement for the eagerly anticipated title.

Unfortunately, the stabbing was anything but virtual. Police have yet to confirm the motive for the assault, but it’s thought that the two men were just rude to one another.

The victim managed to survive the ordeal - and stumbled home to grab a knife for a revenge attack. However, he collapsed in the street on his way back to the store.

One witness to the attack told The Times newspaper that the victim had been stabbed repeatedly and that there was blood everywhere.

But that's not the only incident of GTA IV-style real-word violence yesterday. Separately, an 18-year-old suffered a broken jaw after being mugged for his copy of the game, bought from Blockbuster Video just minutes earlier.

Some anti-GTA IV campaigners have already jumped on both incidents as proof that such games are too violent for society. Keith Vaz, a prominent British Labour MP, said that news of both incidents didn't surprise him.

Despite the attacks, the game appears to be flying off the shelves. Play.com claims to be taking around 80 orders for the game each minute, while Woolworths has reportedly sold 200 copies each minute over the last 24 hours.